THIS has been a very interesting week insofar as accountability by some public officials is concerned.
The investigation by the ACC into how NHE CEO Vinson Hailulu acquired his N$1,5 million car, and another one into the wealth of Works Minister Erkki Nghimtina dominated news headlines.
For the sake of accountability and transparency politicians are obliged to register and declare all their assets. This is the rule rather than the exception.
However, lawmakers have not complied with this rule since 2009 – the last time any asset of an MP was recorded.
If lawmakers cannot comply with the laws of the land, how do we inspire everyone else to comply?
It is for the public to know what interest a politician has in a business. Politicians command a lot of influence, hence the need to publicly declare their interests.
Parliamentarians are required to list their assets with the Speaker of the National Assembly, while in the case of ministers they should list theirs with State House.
The reason for such disclosure is to assure the electorate there is nothing underhand and shoddy behind the acquisition of such assets or wealth, and that there is no conflict of interest.
Disclosure is the biggest tool to instill the public’s confidence in our political leaders.
If the policy of registering assets was complied with accordingly, some of the current probes would not have been necessary.
In the absence of compliance, people with all sorts of agendas can easily approach institutions such as the ACC and drag other people’s names through the mud – through flimsy cook-ups.
Every citizen has the right to own assets – provided of course that their acquisition was executed within the confines of existing laws.
True, no one should be immune to investigations when there is genuine need for a probe.
In fact, officials dealing with public resources should be the main focus of institutions like the ACC.
But we must be neutral in our approach and not create an impression that some officials are holier than thou.
If ministers or MPs are to be subjected to lifestyle audits, such an exercise must be rolled out against all of them.
Those that are being audited should not feel that they are being unfairly targeted ahead of their peers.
Article 16 of our Constitution regarding property says all persons shall have the right to acquire, own and dispose of all forms of their property, of course with a few exceptions.
We must therefore guard against trampling on other citizens’ rights.
But more often than not, politicians have no one but themselves to blame.
Their blatant reluctance to comply with the policy of registering their assets publicly is a source of great suspicion.
What is it that they are hiding from the public eye?
Such concealment triggers speculation and fear that maybe there is something they are concealing – because the law is clearly there to be complied with.
So going forward, it is imperative that politicians register all their assets, and on time, so as to avoid unnecessary alarms and distrust in the future.